Konrad-Zuse-Ring 11, 14469 Potsdam

Assessment Brief

International Accounting
M529

Winter Semester, Quarter 2, 2024

Part I: General Information
Module M529 International Accounting
Term Winter Semester, Quarter 2, 2024
Assignment Title Exam as a Case Study
Weighting Individual Project report - Primary Assessment Task - 70%
Individual online quizzes and group presentations -15%
Class participation– 15%
Distributed on: W/C January 15, 2024
To be submitted on: Fri April 12th, 2024, 18:00 CET.
Submission Method You should submit your report as a PDF File accompanied by an
Assessment Submission Form, which must be completed in full. The
assignment will not be accepted by Registry unless the form is
completed correctly.

This report must be submitted on the corresponding Submission

Folder to be found on Canvas.

Please submit your Individual Project report as ONE pdf file in the
corresponding submission folder on Canvas.
Length Report: 3,000 words +/- 10% not including Title Page, Contents Page,
Executive Summary, References or Appendices

Part II: Assessment Details

Assessment Topic MAIN TASK: 70 points – Individual task

The assignment is to complete, at the end of the course, a project

report that covers all, or at least most, of the concepts covered in the
course.

For this assignment, you are encouraged to choose two international

publicly traded companies who are competitors within the same sector.
You should acquire the annual reports or 10-K for the two companies
from: www.Investing.com; or www.finance.yahoo.com; or
www.reuters.com, or simply companies websites. It is necessary that
you choose companies whose financial statements are prepared
according to the International Financial and Reporting Standards (IFRS).
Within the report students should include/critically discuss the
following:

- A brief outline of both companies and the sector in which they

operate with a link to the national reporting and regulatory
environment of the country.

- A critical analysis of how financial statements have been prepared,

including:

o A discussion of the IFRS standards which are consistently

applied by the two companies.
o A discussion of the financial reporting issues for both
companies. This section of your report should discuss the
existing accounting requirements that should be
considered when addressing the financial effects of the
coronavirus outbreak in the preparation of IFRS financial
statements.
o A critical appraisal and comparison of the financial
performance of both companies for at least five years of
analysis, including the coronavirus period. Also, explain
how a company’s financial reporting affects financial
analysis (performance).

- Many US companies and German companies assume IFRS isn’t

relevant to them — until the potential for a cross-border deal emerges
due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is usually a major
challenge for companies to convert their accounting from GAAP to
IFRS. A change in the rules and regulations has an impact on the entire
organization. In order to carry out the process successfully, the
conversion should not be underestimated. In this section of your
report please:

o highlight specific accounting differences between the IFRS and

GAAP that may be useful to users of financial statements.
o Summarize in a table the primary impacts to convert from
GAAP to IFRS!

*It is critical that you support your analysis/ discussion with some
examples from both companies’ financial statements.
ASYNCHRONOUS TASKS:
TASK 1: 8 points: Online quizzes on Canvas -Weeks 3, 5, 7, 9 (individual)
TASK 2: 7 points: Group Portfolio Project (Weeks – 3,5,7,9)

Description of Task 2:

This TASK is designed to assess student comprehensive understanding of

International Accounting concepts, emphasizing their application to a wide
variety of real-world situations.

In the process, students are to be divided into small groups expected to be

between 4 and 5 students. Each group will need to prepare and submit a
Voice Over PowerPoint presentation on the project. Students will likely have
between 10 minutes to present. The presentation should be approximately 8-
10 slides (under 700 words in total, excluding 1 cover slide and 1 reference
slide). Students need to use correct and appropriate with a critical reflection
the knowledge from the material done in the class (lectures: 3,5, 7 and 9).
Therefore, they have to: 1) provide a comprehensive summary of the
contents, 2) generate points on the task main takeaways and how this task
contributes to the learning experience of the students, and 3) Link current
material to previously learned content and future lectures!

The credit points of the summative assessments in the asynchronous

environment – TASK 2 will be allocated as follows:
-50% for the complete submission, where all students in the same group will
get the same points.
Some of the criteria that will be used to assess presentations include:

• Focus of the presentation

• Clarity and coherence of the content
• Thoroughness of the ideas presented and the analysis
• Clarity of the presentation
• Effective use of facts and details
• Lack of grammatical and spelling errors
• Design of the slides
• Effective use of images
• Completion of the presentation within the allotted time frame

-50% for the presenter´s subject knowledge and presentation skills.

 **All VOPP presentations must be submitted (via email) by only one member
of the group before Fri April 12th, 2024, 18:00 CET.

Assessment Your report should be concise and contain the key elements that back
Guidelines up your choices. All supporting analysis should be included in
Appendices.

Each project is unique, and so each will have different sections.

However, the aim is to include as many of the topics from the course
topic list as possible. Therefore, a checklist of topics to be covered in
the final report should include: Financial statements and business
decisions, ethics, investing, financing and operating decisions and the
balance sheet, adjustments, financial statements, and the quality of
earnings, communicating and interpreting accounting information,
reporting and interpreting, sales revenue, receivables, cash, cost of
goods sold, inventory, property, plant, equipment, natural resources,
intangibles, liabilities, bonds, owner`s equity, investments in other
corporations, statement of cash flows, and analyzing financial
statements.

It is crucial that the report animates module and other academic

sources (e.g., academic peer reviewed articles) and theories to support
its case.

Purpose This assignment is designed to assess your ability to:

• understand and explain the required steps in the accounting

cycle, and the definitions and acceptable practices of
international financial reporting based on the IFRS as they
apply to common components of financial statements
• demonstrate the ability to discuss the need for comparative
analysis, identify the tools of financial statement analysis and
construct, analyze, and interpret IFRS-compliant financial
statements
• recognize and prioritize key drivers companies doing business
internationally encounter
• understand the international dimensions of accounting,
financial reporting, and financial control and explain the way
the information is used by different decision makers and other
stakeholders
• synthesize and critically discuss emerging reporting issues
international companies encounter
Links to module
intended learning
outcomes
Special Instructions
LO. 1: explain and synthesise what the financial statements in an annual
report represent and summarize their common components
LO. 2: use a variety of information and tools to perform a
comprehensive financial analysis
LO. 3: understand and critically evaluate business situations and
prioritize key drivers or issues from various themes and perspectives.
LO. 4: illustrate conclusions, recommendations, and reservations in
formats relevant and appropriate to decision makers and other
stakeholders
LO. 5: synthesize and critically discuss emerging issues companies doing
business internationally encounter in corporate reporting
NA

Part III: Marking Criteria / Assessment Criteria

Mark Fail Sufficient Satisfactory Good Very Good

Weight (0 - 49%) (50 – 59%) (60 – 74%) (75-89%) (90-100%)

100% 5,0 4,0 - 3,7 2,7-3,3 1,7-2,3 1,0-1,3

Does not fulfil Demonstrates Demonstrates Demonstrates a Demonstrates a

Marking the acceptable substantial knowledge comprehensive comprehensive
Criteria requirements of knowledge and and understanding of knowledge and knowledge and
the assessment. understanding of the the subject-matter understanding of the understanding of the
subject-matter and and subject-matter and subject-matter
achievement of achievement of achievement of and achievement of
learning learning learning learning outcomes at
outcomes at low to outcomes at average outcomes at well high (highest) levels
average to above above average levels of performance.
level of performance. average performance of performance.
levels.

Assessment Criteria Your report will be assessed based on the following criteria (70%):

Demonstration of a level of knowledge and understanding of the

subject matter: 60%

- Key elements of assignments covered

- Content is comprehensive/accurate/persuasive
- Displays an understanding of relevant theory
- Major points supported by specific details
- Research is adequate
-Integration of academic theory and ‘real-word’ practice
 - Appropriate report which goes beyond those presented in the course
material.
- Conclusion/recommendations follow logically from the body of the
paper

Organizing: 3%

-Report is well structured and presented logically

-Structure is clear, logical and easy to follow

Style: 7%

- Citations/reference page follow guidelines

- The use of Perlego and EBSCO (Highly recommended)
- Paper is laid out effectively - uses, headings and other reader-friendly
tools
- Rules of grammar, usage, punctuation are followed
- Spelling is correct
-Transitions between sentences/paragraphs/sections help maintain the
flow of thought
-Words used are precise and unambiguous

Notes about GISMA University rewards in class attendance, and engagement with
Marking asynchronous content, at a rate of 30% per module.
-Students participating ≥ 80% (factoring on possible extenuating
circumstances) of their synchronous classes as per their due mode of
delivery, will gain 15% towards their final module mark.
-Students successfully engaging with asynchronous material on the
gamification/microlearning path and completing all summative
assessments in the asynchronous environment, will equally gain 15%
towards their final module mark.
- The credit points of the summative assessments in the asynchronous
environment will be allocated as follows:
A: 8 points for the active and successful participation in the Online
quizzes on Canvas -Weeks 3, 5, 7, 9 (Individual task).
B: 7 points - for the active and successful participation in the Group
Portfolio Project

-Designated asynchronous tasks should be completed by the deadlines

specified by the tutors. Do note that all tasks must be completed by the
deadline applicable for the principal assessment task.
 -The above also entail that, students falling below 80% of attendance,
although they will be still allowed to submit, they will have their final
mark capped at 85/100. Equally, if they fail to engage with the
asynchronous material and complete the short summative assessments
included in specific checkpoints during each term (usually 4), their
module mark, irrespective of their engagement and participation in
synchronous delivery, will drop by a maximum rate of 15%.

Part IV: Tips for Successfully Engaging with this Assessment

Answer the Question It may seem obvious, but make sure you are answering the question
you have been set, not the question you would prefer to answer. If
the brief has a number of tasks or parts, answer all of them. Parts
that involve evaluation or analysis are usually longer and worth more
marks than parts that ask for description or explanation. Keep the
brief in front of you and check it regularly.

How to use The assessment criteria is not usually a guide to the structure of your
Assessment Criteria assignment. Each section of the criteria is not a separate paragraph in
your assignment, but qualities that you need to demonstrate
throughout. Treat the assessment criteria as a checklist at the end
not as a plan at the beginning. Also the criteria often tells you what
to demonstrate (e.g. critical analysis) but not necessarily how to do it.
For the how to do it, look back at the skills and activities you have
covered in the rest of the module.

Above all, remember this is not a test of how much you know or how
much you have read about the topic. It is a test of how well you can
use your knowledge to answer the specific
question set.

Planning and Make sure you attend the lecture where we will be ‘unpacking’ this
Preparation assignment in greater detail.

Seek advice early. Talk to your lecturer and tutor.

Spend enough time on researching, writing, proofing and editing this

assignment.

Double-check the assignment submission requirements and any

further instructions before submitting the final draft
Referencing GISMA Business School requires that students use Harvard
Referencing
Plagiarism and - All written work submitted in this course must be originally
Cheating produced by you, the student.

-Your attention is drawn to the University’s stated position on

plagiarism. THE WORK OF OTHERS THAT IS INCLUDED IN THE
ASSIGNMENT MUST BE ATTRIBUTED TO ITS SOURCE (a list of
references and bibliography must be submitted).

-The use of generative AI technologies (such as ChatGPT) in your final

assignments is not allowed unless the assessment guidelines
explicitly clarify, under which terms, you are allowed to use these
technologies. Any violation of this rule will result in an investigation
of academic misconduct.

-Please note that this is intended to be an individual piece of work.

Ensure that you read through your work prior to submission. Action
will be taken where a student is suspected of having cheated or
engaged in any dishonest practice. Students are referred to the
University regulations on plagiarism and other forms of academic
misconduct. Students must not copy or collude with one another or
present any information that they themselves have not generated.

*For more information on Plagiarism see the relevant section in your

Programme Handbook.